As used herein, the term “user equipment” (alternatively “UE”) might refer to mobile devices such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, handheld or laptop computers, and similar devices that have telecommunications capabilities. Also, terms such as “user equipment,” “UE,” “user device,” “mobile device,” and “terminal” may be used synonymously herein.
As telecommunications technology has evolved, more advanced network access equipment has been introduced that can provide services that were not possible previously. This network access equipment might include systems and devices that are improvements of the equivalent equipment in a traditional wireless telecommunications system. Such advanced or next generation equipment may be included in evolving wireless communications standards, such as long-term evolution (LTE). For example, an LTE system might include an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) node B (eNB), a wireless access point, or a similar component rather than a traditional base station. Any such component will be referred to herein as an eNB, but it should be understood that such a component is not necessarily an eNB. Such a component may also be referred to herein as an access node or a network element.
LTE may be said to correspond to Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8 (Rel-8), Release 9 (Rel-9), and Release 10 (Rel-10), and possibly also to releases beyond Release 10, while LTE Advanced (LTE-A) may be said to correspond to Release 10, Release 11 (Rel-11), and possibly also to releases beyond Release 10 and Release 11.
A UE may include a wireless communication receiving component, transmitting component, and associated processing components that together allow the UE to communicate in accordance with the LTE standards. Such a set of components may be referred to herein as an LTE device or an LTE radio.
A UE may also include one or more additional sets of transmitting and/or receiving components that are co-located on the UE with the LTE device and that perform functions other than LTE-based communication. For example, such additional sets of components may be used for the transmission of energy in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio bands or for navigation and positioning functions in a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or a global positioning system (GPS). These additional sets of components may also use radio technologies different from that used in LTE. For example, wireless local area network (WLAN), WiFi, Bluetooth, or some other type of wireless radio frequency communication technology may be used. The term “WLAN” may be applied herein to any such transmitting components, receiving components, and/or associated components or functions that are used for purposes other than LTE-based communication and that use a radio technology other than LTE radio technology, but it should be understood that such components are not necessarily WLAN components.